


Squad Leader

by musix



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-09
Updated: 2014-11-09
Packaged: 2018-02-24 19:04:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2592851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musix/pseuds/musix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Moblit's first day on Hanji's Squad.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Squad Leader

"Squad Leader! Two horses are approaching from the North!" Hanji looked up from the book she was reading to acknowledge her squad mate.

"Thank you Keiji! Come join us for breakfast and warm up! It's got to be cold up there!" She shouted back heartily. They were on a mission outside the walls waiting for Erwin to arrive with his "surprise". He'd refused to tell Hanji what this surprise was but if it was him that Keiji had spotted then he wasn't alone.

Their camp wasn't far from the wall. It was placed on the side of a small cluster of buildings that they were currently using to gain a vantage point and spot any approaching titans.

Keiji landed near Hanji with a solid thump and made his way to his squad that was gathered around a small fire. A mission in the middle of autumn was often the most annoying thing to have to do, besides getting eaten. The rest of Hanji's squad was eating small rations of meat they had, taking care to save some for later.

Having already eaten breakfast, Hanji used her 3DMG to take over Keiji's previous position and keep a look out for titans. As he had said earlier, two horses were making their way towards their camp but now they were close enough for her to recognize their identity. After a final look around to make sure they were clear of danger, Hanji swung down to the dirt ground as Erwin and his guest stopped their horses.

"Morning Commander Erwin." She did the traditional salute. "Come to join us in the freezing cold? We've got mittens."

The older man shook his head. "You've got a new soldier joining your squad today. This is Moblit Berner. Moblit, this is Hanji Zoe, your new squad leader."

Hanji looked the new soldier up and down quizzically which seemed to make him nervous. "Erwin why didn't you ask me before doing something like this?"

"I figured you'd like the surprise. Are you disappointed?"

Hanji shook her head. "Oh not at all. Though he is pretty tall. I think Nifa will be a little annoyed at yet another tall squad mate." She laughed more to herself than anyone else.

"Well I've got to head back. Levi's waiting for orders at a nearby campsite. As for you, head south of here. Your job is to observe titans. There will be no capturing today. Just observation. Levi's squad will be moving towards The Forest of Giant Trees. Meet him there."

"Yes sir." When their Commander rode towards his second destination Hanji grinned. "Come on Moblit! Let's go introduce you to the rest of the squad!" The tall man nodded, dropping off of his horse and following Hanji to the others.

"Oi, eyes up kids! We've got a new member!" The squad looked up all at the same time. They were used to their squad leader's loud announcements but she usually wasn't accompanied by a nervous looking man.

"Alright kids, this is Moblit Berner. He's new so be nice or I'll make you clean the stables with Levi for a week. Moblit," She turned her head to the tall man. "Make yourself at home. I'm going to go keep watch for a couple minutes while you all mingle together." And like that Hanji left him alone, flying up to the top of the building with the help of her gear.

Moblit looked back at the squad and smiled. "Hello." A short woman stood up from her seat on a stump.

"Hey Moblit! My name's Nifa. This is Keiji and that's Goggles." She pointed to each squad member as she spoke and they offered a smile and a wave or thumbs up.

"Goggles?" Moblit asked.

"Yeah, it's a nickname. Come sit down with us, you've still got time to eat breakfast!"

Moblit was guided forward to an empty spot next to Nifa and sat down. As they all continued their breakfast Moblit couldn't help but glance at his new squad leader. They were sitting on the roof of the building, head on a swivel. There really wasn't anything special she was doing honestly.

"So Moblit, what do you think of Squad Leader Hanji? Pretty cool right?" It was Keiji talking.

"I don't know Hanji all that well but they seem like a nice person." He bit into his food and chewed it slowly, hoping someone else would continue the conversation.

Goggles looked surprised. "Really? I was terrified of Hanji when I first met them."

Moblit looked up just in time to watch Hanji swing down to their level and walk stealthily up behind Goggles. He didn't hear his squad leader until the last second when Hanji grabbed his shoulders and yelled "Boo!"

Goggles' screamed in surprise for a second before turning around. "Why'd you do that?"

"I wanted to see if you're still scared of me. You probably shouldn't say things like that so openly." Hanji answered calmly. While the startled man regained his bearings Hanji looked to her newest member. "So has everyone been nice Moblit?"

"Y-yes they have!" Mentally Moblit questioned himself about his stutter but turned his full attention to his leader when they started to talk.

"Good! I'm sure you'll all be good friends when this mission is over. We're burning daylight. Everyone saddle up and get ready to move."

Immediately the entire squad put away their food and jumped onto their horses. Goggles took a second to stomp out the small fire they had made. Hanji moved her horse near Moblit and tossed him a flare gun.

"Use this if you need to get our attention or you get separated. Green if you see a titan, black if you're separated, and red if you need assistance immediately. Our job is only observe but this doesn't mean we won't have to fight. Stay close to us and follow orders and you should be okay. Make sure to check your gear as well. If there are any problems we need to know now before it becomes a life or death scenario. Alright."

"Yes Squad Leader!"

"You can just call me Hanji. It's quicker. Unless Erwin's around you can refer to your squad on first name basis. We're a family after all."

"Thank you Hanji." She smiled and turned her attention to the rest of her squad.

"Alright everyone this should be a quick mission. Our job is to observe any titans we come across on our way to The Forest of Giant Trees! Hopefully we won't need to fight but be prepared either way! We'll meeting Levi's squad in the forest when this is all done! We leave in 60 seconds!"

Moblit checked his 3DMG as Hanji had advised and made sure he remembered how a flare gun worked. He finished before the others with 10 seconds to spare and moved his horse in a position ready to go when Hanji gave the order.

"Let's go!" Hanji's horse took off, followed closely by Moblit, Nifa, Keiji, and Goggles.

It wasn't even 15 minutes before they encountered their first Titan. Hanji watched it closely for a few seconds before turning to Moblit. They grabbed something from their pack and tossed it to him.

He caught it with his hand and recognized it as a notebook and a writing utensil. He opened up the book, still guiding his horse as best as he could and waited for Hanji's orders.

"Moblit record the following data. Height: 8 to 10 meters. Short dark hair. Walks upright. Arms unnaturally long. Walks with a quick pace. You get all that?"

"I did!"

"Good, hold onto that and be ready to write anything I tell you!" He nodded, holding firmly on the book in his hand. They didn't leave the titan right away. Hanji had wanted to watch it for a few more minutes before moving on. The titan halted in its pace and stood still making Hanji order the squad to halt. It was dead silent as they watched the creature stare pointlessly at the sky.

Moblit took the time to survey their surroundings. There were little to no trees available for them and the only building for miles was next to the titan. His own nervousness made him scan the area for nearby titans and to his relief there were none nearby. He looked back at the titan and noticed it had turned so that he could see its face.

Without thinking about it he started to sketch the titan as best as he could. It was much easier to use the utensil now that they were standing still. He hoped Hanji wouldn't mind but a sketch of the titan might help them later. He finished it quickly, thankful that no one had noticed his quick scribbling. What he didn't know however was that Hanji had heard him drawing the second he started and was waiting not only to observe the titan but to give him time to draw as much as he could. When he finished she ordered them to move on, making an arch shape in an effort to stay out of the titan's range.

This continued for almost the entire day. When a titan was sighted they'd observe it for as long as was necessary. Moblit had sketched each titan he'd seen, still unaware that his squad leader was giving him time to do so. It was now a couple hours after noon when they stopped on a large hill and dismounted their horses.

"We've done well so far. We'll have a break and then continue. Eat quickly, I'm not too excited about being in the open for so long." The squad nodded, opening their rations while still keeping a lookout for danger. Hanji chose to eat her lunch separated from the rest of them, most likely to keep watch for her squad.

Moblit was sitting next to Nifa when Hanji called his name. He immediately stood up and walked to his squad leader.

"You called Hanji?"

"I did. Do you still have that notebook I gave you?"

"Yes." Moblit pulled the book from his pocket and handed it to her. "I hope you don't mind but I drew each titan we saw. I figured it would help to have a visual when you looked it over again."

"I was aware of your drawings from the beginning." She opened the book and smiled. "They're very well done. Would it be too much to ask that you continue doing this?"

"N-not a problem!"

"Good! I was going to make you do it anyway."

Moblit laughed. "Well then I guess Erwin picked a good squad for me." Hanji looked up at him.

"Did he ask you for any ideas for a squad?"

Moblit nodded. "He asked me about my own skills and if I preferred anyone in particular. I'd heard about you in training. Back then you, Mike, and Levi were the most talked about. My friend Petra Ral went to Levi's squad actually."

"Ah Miss Ral! I know her very well! She often brings me tea when I'm working. Very nice woman." Hanji kept her gaze on their surroundings but was still listening to her squad member intently.

"Yes she's a very lovely person. When we split up I wanted to somehow get to see her and I'd heard that you and Levi were on well enough terms with each other."

"If you want to call it that." Hanji shot a smile at Moblit. "I know the shorty very well but god knows the poor man will have a heart attack if he had to deal with me all day."

"I'm sure you're not that bad Squad Leader. You're just different." Moblit felt his ears grow warm when Hanji looked at him.

"I suppose so. You've got an interesting outlook on things. At least I'm assuming from how you speak and act around others. When we meet Levi's squad I'll be sure to give you time to either work on those sketches or see your friend. I'll distract Levi for you." Hanji patted his shoulder and handed him the notebook. "Now tell the others to finish up. I'm going to ride ahead to see if there are titans around. If I don't see all of you within a minute of my departure I'm going to assume you were eaten and move on by myself."

Moblit saluted, pausing for only a few seconds to watch Hanji jump onto their horse and take off. He watched her form slowly get smaller and smaller feeling a tiny hint of regret. He quickly regained his composure however and ran over to his squad. "Hanji is going ahead to scout for titans. We need to follow her as soon as possible." They all immediately jumped onto their horses and followed Moblit towards their Squad Leader.

Nifa moved her horse closer to his in an effort to talk to him. "So you were getting kinda cozy with Squad Leader. What were you talking about?"

"N-nothing. Just the information I'd written down and she wanted to know what Erwin had done before I was assigned to this squad." He felt his ears grow warm when Keiji rode up on his other side.

"You know your ears were red the entire time you were talking to her? Wouldn't be surprised if someone's got a crush!" The dark haired man's laughter was cut off when Goggles interrupted.

"Leave the kid alone Keiji. You had a crush on Hanji for over six months! Almost everyone does until they have to keep her from getting eaten alive 24/7."

"Shut up Goggles!" Keiji shot back. Moblit laughed at their dispute when Nifa caught his attention again.

"If you're having troubles with Hanji, feel free to ask me for help! Those idiots won't provide any assistance worth your time."

Moblit just nodded, looking ahead to see Hanji's horse not far ahead. Nifa noticed too and they both sped up to reach their leader. The last two members took longer to realize they were being left behind.

As they were reunited with Hanji she turned around and grinned. "There you are! Thought you all had gotten eaten. You barely made it in time before I decided to move on. Good work Moblit!" When Hanji turned back around Moblit frowned at Keiji who was giggling to himself.

"Titan on our left!" Nifa's call brought everyone back to business. Moblit immediately opened the notebook and started sketching.

"Five to six meters tall. Blond hair. Average anatomy." The new member scribbled away as Hanji named off observations. "It's not moving. It's staring at something on the ground. What do you say we get a closer look?"

All at once her squad responded "No!"

Hanji just laughed and tugged on her reins. "Too late! I'm in charge! Nifa, take Moblit and circle around the right. Goggles and Keiji, circle around the left. I'll go down the center. If anything he'll go after me." She glanced back at her squad and raised an eyebrow. "Any objections?"

No one said anything but she could tell Moblit was probably having a heart attack. She hesitated in her decision, wondering if his fear was worth postponing a direct conflict. But he had to get used to it sooner or later.

The plan went on like Hanji had ordered. The titan was still staring at whatever was on the ground and didn't seem to notice that it was surrounded.

Moblit felt himself shaking with worry as Hanji trotted closer and closer to the monster they should have just ignored. "Nifa, will they be alright?"

"Yeah. Don't doubt our squad leader so soon Moblit. You'll see." Nifa pointed back to the titan and Moblit watched in horror as it finally noticed Hanji's presence.

"Good afternoon big guy! What do you have there on the ground?" Hanji didn't get a response. "I'd appreciate it if you'd let me learn a couple things about you before we move on. And I'd be really nice if you didn't try and eat me."

Her request was rejected as the titan lunged at her suddenly. Hanji, using her horse as leverage jumped out of the way. Using her gear she latched onto the titan's neck and swung in for a swift kill. As the creature lay dead and quickly evaporating their squad watched on in surprise.

Hanji hopped off the titan corpse and made her way over to her horse. Unfortunately when she'd jumped away from the Titan's grasp the attack had hit her horse and left the large animal broken on its side, making soft noises as she approached.

"Oh I'm so sorry. It was a bad move to put you in danger like that. I hope you'll forgive me."

The animal was still alive but most definitely in a lot of pain. Without a second thought Hanji ended its life. While the death of her horse was sad for her she didn't seem to let it bother her. Hanji motioned for her squad to rejoin her and waited patiently for them to gather around her.

"Alright I'll be the first to admit that having my horse get killed wasn't part of the plan. But I did learn something about that titan so it wasn't a total lose. We're also not far from The Forest of Giant Trees so our mission is done for now. But I'm still going to need a ride."

Immediately Keiji touched his nose and said, "Not it!"

Goggles and Nifa followed in his actions, leaving Moblit and Hanji the only people without a finger on their nose.

Keiji smiled. "Well Moblit, you better make room on your horse!" Moblit just frowned at him before their squad leader gained their attention.

"Alright you three are going to scout ahead. I won't have us all waiting in the open like sitting ducks. Moblit and I will join you soon. I just need to look at a few things. Moblit," the man in question sat up a bit taller. "Circle around the area. And watch out for any surprises. We'll meet up at the edge of the forest. Try not to get eaten you three."

The other half of the squad nodded and started their horses in the direction of the forest. Moblit moved his horse as well, but only at a slow trot as he went to get a better view of their surroundings. He waited quietly for Hanji to finish whatever they were doing, keeping his own eye on the endless plains around them.

After making sure their surroundings were clear and watching his squad disappear over a hill he returned to his squad leader who was kneeling down and looking at something on the ground.

"Our surroundings are clear. Have you found anything useful here?"

Hanji remained silent for a few seconds before speaking. "No. Nothing."

They turned to him suddenly and grinned. "Let's get moving. God knows what trouble our friends are getting themselves into."

Without a warning Hanji took a running start and jumped onto the back of Moblit's horse. Moblit flinched at the sudden movement but calmed down when he realized what had happened.

"Alright newbie, let's get going."

Moblit ordered his horse to move forward, aware of the animals slower run at having to support another person.

"Moblit I hope you don't mind but I might have to ride back home with you too."

"I-I don't mind! It can't be avoided." Moblit was aware of the large forest in front of him growing closer and moved his horse in the direction best suited for riding.

They entered the forest and were enveloped by the trees, coming to a stop when they saw several other horses tied to a stump nearby.

"That's our stop. Looks like Levi made it too." Hanji noted.

Moblit stopped the horse and tied her to the stump, checking for a branch to latch onto with his 3DMG.

Hanji snorted. "You'd be eaten by a titan with the time it's taken you to find a branch Moblit."

"What?" Moblit turned to his squad leader, eyes suddenly wide with surprise. "What?!"

Hanji was running at him, jumping to let her gear catch the trunk of a tree and snatched Moblit up with her as she sailed upwards. She flew through the air with the larger man in her arms as her gear found another branch to latch onto. She landed perfectly and let Moblit drop to the branch.

"See? Think on the fly. Our squad is farther over in that direction." Hanji pointed to their left. "But there's not branches to jump with. Use your gear to swing around the trunk and find a branch."

"Alright." Moblit took a running start and shot his gear into he tree, mimicking how he'd seen before. As he moved around the tree he saw a group of people standing on a branch farther up.

"You've got it Moblit!" Hanji shouted as she swung by, reaching the branch seconds before he did. "Nice work. Now go relax for a bit." The excited squad leader patted his shoulder twice and walked over to Levi's squad.

Moblit just stood still, watching her leave and feeling his face warm up. "Oh my god I think I love her."


End file.
